Our sense of smell is the one sense most likely to transport us through time. A sniff of fried fish on a breeze and I can wind up in my grandmother’s kitchen 60 years ago, getting ready to eat bluegills.
Michael Walsh, a Minnesotan, builds this fine poem about his parents around the odor of cattle that they carry with them, even into this moment.
Barn Clothes
Same size, my parents stained and tore alike in the barn, their brown hair
ripe as cow after twelve hours of gutters. At supper they spoke in jokey moos.
Sure, showers could dampen that reek down to a whiff under fingernails, behind ears,
but no wash could wring the animal from their clothes: one pair, two pair, husband, wife, reversible.
Steven Spielberg delivers a brilliant masterpiece on American history with “Lincoln,” from a screenplay based in part on the book “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Lincoln” by Doris Kearns Goodwin.
Fear not, history is far from a ponderous, tedious exercise with this lively exploration of the full measure of this great president, a man whose passion and humanity is on full display.
The rich human drama that played out near the end of the Civil War is all the more impressive because Daniel Day-Lewis skillfully makes Abraham Lincoln the tall, elegant and imposing figure of authority that history informs us was the case.
To its everlasting credit, “Lincoln” dwells on the final four months of the 16th president’s life and presidency, when a shattered nation teeters on the very real possibility of the Union forever dissolved.
History, but not the movie, enlightens us on Lincoln’s use of draconian emergency powers during the Civil War, such as the suspension of habeas corpus and outright media censorship.
There’s very little battlefield action here, and what there is merely sets the tone for certain political necessities that follow from ending the war so that the United States is once again whole.
“Lincoln” the movie focuses on the extraordinary steps that the president took in doubling down on the war effort, not merely to end the Civil War but to push for the enactment of the 13th Amendment that would permanently abolish slavery.
Most of the action takes place during the month of January 1865, when the reelected Lincoln makes an all-out effort to secure passage of the amendment in the ill-tempered House of Representatives.
The president relies on the help of Republican Thaddeus Stevens (Tommy Lee Jones), powerful chairman of the House Way and Means Committee and a fiery and often irascible advocate of the abolitionist movement.
Lincoln’s secretary of state William H. Seward (David Strathairn), a former political adversary during the 1860 election, was an indispensable ally in the fight to save the Union, and as such, he helped, albeit reluctantly, organize a lobbying effort to spread patronage in an ingenious vote-buying scheme.
Some comic relief comes from a trio of lobbyists (John Hawkes, James Spader and Tim Blake Nelson) who run around Capitol Hill offering lucrative government jobs to the very Democratic congressmen who were not otherwise inclined to abolish slavery by any measure.
Meanwhile, plenty of fireworks take place not just in the halls of Congress but inside the White House as well. Sally Field fully realizes the complicated role of Mary Todd Lincoln, alternately supportive of her husband or so emotionally overwrought as to be a thorn in his side.
We often catch the Great Emancipator in a pensive mood as he wanders late at night through the White House tormented by the pressing burdens of his office. On top of that, he’s a vulnerable husband and father who must cope, respectively, with his demanding wife and the ongoing grief of son Willie’s death.
More family drama intrudes with Mrs. Lincoln’s insistence that oldest son Robert (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) not join the war effort. Even against the president’s wishes, Robert wanted to join the Union Army, not seeking any favor because of his station in life.
Without the knowledge of Secretary Seward, Lincoln sends a delegation to Richmond in an attempt to negotiate the surrender of the Confederacy. Meanwhile, he has to stall this peace effort just long enough to pass the 13th Amendment.
The political intrigue in the nation’s capitol is fascinating. Lincoln realizes that unless the abolition of slavery is enshrined in the Constitution, the reconstituted Union is unlikely to pass the amendment when Democratic representatives from the South join the Congress.
Politics in its rawest form is fully on display in the contentious debate over the abolition of slavery. The sharp-tongued Thaddeus Stevens is a wonder to behold as he skewers the hypocrisy of his Democratic adversaries.
The most theatrical aspects of “Lincoln” occur as the result of debates in Congress about the 13th Amendment. One great showdown involves Congressman Stevens’ heated and acerbic tongue-lashing of pro-slavery Democrat Fernando Wood (Lee Pace).
The portrait of Abraham Lincoln that emerges is a man of raw paradoxes, one who is funny and solemn, as well as shrewd and vulnerable. The president dotes on his youngest son and is a playful storyteller, but he’s also a fierce power broker and astute commander.
Thrust into the high stakes battle to save the American Union, Lincoln comes into view as a master strategist brokering deals with members of the opposition as well as recalcitrant members of his own party.
It’s never a good idea to come away from a movie with the notion that the historical figures have been depicted with accuracy and fairness. “Lincoln,” though, seems like an honest attempt to capture the essence of one of the most compelling figures in the history of mankind.
Spielberg’s “Lincoln” is ambitious filmmaking at its best. This brilliant film shows that the president was not just a multifaceted statesman and military leader, but also a dedicated and introspective family man coping with an enormous number of challenges.
Daniel Day-Lewis is simply superb as Abraham Lincoln. If he’s not nominated for an Academy Award as Best Actor, I would question the judgment of the voters.
TELEVISION BOOK UPDATE
A period drama of the early 20th Century, “Downton Abbey” is a smash hit on PBS’ “Masterpiece Classic,” soon to return in January for its third season.
Meanwhile, to satisfy the legions of fans, St. Martin’s Press has released the beautifully illustrated “The Chronicles of Downton Abbey,” highlighting the history of the popular show.
When Season 3 of the award-winning TV series opens, it is 1920 and the occupants of the Great House are waking up to a world forever changed by World War I.
New challenges to the established order and new guests abound, with more intrigue, rivalry and romance than ever. In this new era, different family members arrive, include Shirley MacLaine.
“The Chronicles of Downton Abbey” ties in nicely with the upcoming third season. The book is lavishly designed and gloriously illustrated and full of intimate detail.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Third Friday Live at the Soper-Reese Community Theatre will feature father-son duo Twice as Good.
The performance takes place on Friday, Nov. 16, at the theater, located at 275 S. Main St., Lakeport.
Doors open at 6 p.m., with the music getting started at 7 p.m.
Paul and Rich Steward make up Twice As Good.
The ultimate blues duo performs high energy blues, soul, and rock and roll with screaming guitar and soulful vocals.
The Soper-Reese Community Theatre is a restored performing arts venue that can seat up to 300 patrons and is operated by an all-volunteer management team under the auspices of the Lake County Arts Council.
Tickets are available at The Travel Center in the Shoreline Shopping Center, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; at the theater box office on Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; and two hours before show time on the day of an event.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Spirited and attractive Elena Casanova, who has won widespread admiration in previous Lake County appearances, will perform as featured soloist at the Sunday, Nov. 18, concert of the Lake County Symphony.
Casanova will play Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major on CLPA’s Yamaha grand piano. It will take place at Lakeport’s Soper-Reese Community Theatre at 3 p.m.
Cuban-born Casanova studied at Havana’s Alejandro Garcia Culturia, as well as California’s Pacific Union College and the San Francisco Conservatory. She earned her bachelor of arts in music at the University of Redlands, and since moving to Mendocino County has played in many concerts and recitals, including at least two in Lake County.
Symphony conductor John Parkinson has assembled an all-Mozart program for the Fall concert, entitled “Mozart Masterpieces” and Casanova’s selection fits into this theme. The Piano Concerto she chose is often called “The Coronation Concerto” because the composer wrote it to commemorate the coronation of Leopold II as Holy Roman Emperor.
For Mozart-lovers – and there are many in Lake County – the concert will be a jewel, with Parkinson also leading the orchestra in one of Mozart’s most beloved and endearing works “The Haffner” which was dedicated to one of the composer’s sponsors. Its official title is the Symphony No. 35 in D Major. Also on the program is the Overture to one of Mozart’s most popular operas “The Marriage of Figaro” which resulted from the first collaboration between the Austrian composer and Italian librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its instant popularity led to two more – Don Giovanni” and Cosi fan Tutte.”
Over his 30-plus years of leading the Symphony Parkinson has presented a panoply of classical and popular music, but returns often to Mozart because of the the elegance and emotion of his music. Lake County audiences evidently agree, since past “Mostly Mozart” concerts have often been sellouts.
The CLPA Youth Orchestra, under the direction of Susan Condit, will adhere to the Mozart theme with two numbers from the prolific composer. They are from one of only two symphonies Mozart ever wrote in the minor key. Called the Great G Minor Symphony, it has been described as one of his most “intensely emotional” works. The second is the Rondo Alla Turko, from the Piano Sonata No. 11, especially scored for an orchestra the size of the Youth group.
There is just one departure from the Mozart program, and that is a solo rendition of Vivaldi’s Violin Concerto Op 3, No. 6 by 9 year old Rafael Contreras who blew the audience away when he performed the same piece at the CLPA annual meeting in September. Contreras is a fourth grader at Lower Lake Elementary School and has won recognition for his skillful and emotional playing.
Member admission to the fall concert will be $20. With general admission $25 and tickets may be ordered in advance at 263-0577 or online at www.soperreesetheatre.com . Season tickets also are available.
Both Casanova and the Symphony and Youth Orchestras will perform a full rehearsal at 11 a.m., to which youths under 18 will be admitted free. Adult admission will be $5.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Local band Ailura Fate makes a special appearance at the Lake County Arts Council Annual Meeting this Wednesday, Nov. 14, at the Soper-Reese Community Theatre in Lakeport.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the event starts at 6 p.m.
Ailura Fate is the combined local talents of Nashville award-winning rock guitarist Jason Wright, vocalist Kayla Bell, multi-guitarist Lindy Day and Native American Music Awards nominee Kevin Village Stone on bass, keyboards and Native flutes.
The evening, complete with food and drinks, opens with classical guitar renditions by Lindy Day, duets of guitar and modern Native American flutes with Kevin Village Stone, and then the full-band sound of Ailura Fate at the conclusion of the meeting. Dancing is encouraged.
Admission is free and everyone is welcome.
The Soper-Reese Community Theatre is located at 275 S. Main St., Lakeport.
For more information about the event call the Lake County Arts Council at 707-263-6658 or the Soper-Reese Community Theatre, 707-263-0577.
For more information on Ailura Fate and its members, visit www.AiluraFate.com .
This year is the 50th anniversary of the James Bond franchise, and “Skyfall” is the 23rd film, as long as you don’t count Sean Connery’s return in the unofficial “Never Say Never Again.”
Appearing in his third Bond film, Daniel Craig is the sixth person in the role of the suave secret agent, as long as you don’t count Barry Nelson from a 1954 TV movie and David Niven, Peter Sellers and others from the 1967 spoof “Casino Royale.”
As a James Bond fan, I can’t resist another bit of trivia. Roger Moore holds the record for playing Bond in seven of the official films produced by Eon Productions.
And though Roger Moore brought his own inimitable jocular style to the part, Sean Connery remains, for most Bond enthusiasts, the best of the lot.
Yet, with “Skyfall,” Daniel Craig, who possesses the requisite style, wits and brawn for Ian Fleming’s creation, has solidified his standing as the heir apparent and nearly, if not yet completely, equal in stature to Connery.
Is “Skyfall” the best of all Bond films, as some proclaim? “Goldfinger” and “From Russia With Love” are arguably the gold standard. As a straight-up spy film, “Skyfall” certainly measures up with the very best.
True to the franchise tradition, the film starts with a taut, thrilling motorcycle chase through Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar and across rooftops, culminating in a breathtaking fight on top of a speeding train, which doesn’t end particularly well for Bond.
Sam Mendes, a director known for more serious work, is equally adept at the escapist fare, though in the early going you’d think he was just brushing off the instruction manual from the “Bourne” films.
After the dazzling title sequence, which includes singer Adele belting out the theme song, Bond ends up at a coastal town in the south of Turkey to recuperate and contemplate his next move.
A terrorist attack on the MI6 headquarters in London jolts Bond. His loyalty to his boss, M (Judi Dench), demands his return to action, even if he’s forced to undergo physical and mental training to qualify for duty.
It matters little to Bond that he’s not completely in shape. He needs to help M, whose authority and position is being challenged by officious government bureaucrats eager to move beyond the ossified spy business.
Enter Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes), new chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee. He’s going to poke around in the dark corners. Meanwhile, Bond is the only ally that M can trust.
As part of the new regime, Q (Ben Whishaw) is a youthful, mop-haired computer geek who disdains the usual gadgets. He tells Bond that the agency doesn’t issue “exploding pens” anymore.
Bond’s assignment is to resume the chase of the killer who made off with a list of MI6 agents working undercover in terrorist groups around the globe.
The chase takes Bond to an exotic high-rise in Shanghai and then to a casino in Macau where Komodo dragons prove to be more dangerous than Siegfried and Roy’s white tigers.
Bond’s image as the ladies man is rekindled when he hooks up with the exotically beautiful Severine (Berenice Marlohe), who proves indispensable to locating the chief villain.
Not surprisingly, the bad guy is somewhat exotic himself. The oddly blond-haired Silva (Javier Bardem), a supercilious fop with exaggerated mannerisms, is motivated by a twisted sense of revenge to kill MI6 agents.
Though Silva is captured on his island hideaway, it’s not a spoiler to reveal that, much like Hannibal Lecter, he not only plays mind games but is not easily confined in what should be an airtight cell.
Because all hell is breaking loose in the British intelligence world, M is forced back out into the field and teams with Bond as the only option for getting the malevolent Silva to emerge from the shadows.
The preening, arrogant Silva, backed up by a platoon of nameless thugs, eagerly takes the bait. M and Bond set up shop at an old family estate in Scotland, setting the trap.
To the delight of 007 fans, Bond retrieves the revered Aston Martin DB5 out of mothballs. The car has a limited purpose, not even using its ejector seat. Still, it’s a nice reminder of the glory days.
An interesting element to this Bond story is that M plays a greater role than usual. On the run together, Bond and M have more room to explore their special relationship that is based on mutual respect.
For another thing, we also get much more insight into Bond’s background and events from his childhood. “Skyfall” reveals Bond’s inner life in a way that the movie audience has never seen before.
Notwithstanding some of the psychological and emotional elements, “Skyfall,” above all, has plenty of high stakes action to keep the thrill level in overdrive.
I should not forget to mention the presence of Bond’s fellow field agent Eve (Naomie Harris), who’s not only beautiful and talented, but is revealed to have a special connection at the film’s conclusion.
“Skyfall” is a superior film, allowing one to take solace from the fact that the inferior “Quantum of Solace” was merely an aberration in the recent Bond pantheon.
Director Sam Mendes has set the bar high for the next Bond film. One can hope that he’s willing to do a sequel. Meanwhile, “Skyfall” is the must-see picture.
DVD RELEASE UPDATE
“Perry Mason,” the popular TV series that inspired a genre of courtroom dramas, recently returned to DVD release with “The Seventh Season – Volume Two.”
At the end of November, keep an eye out for “Perry Mason: The Eighth Season – Volume One,” which will offer 773 minutes of running time.
Raymond Burr ignited the screen as brilliant attorney Perry Mason, who will stop at nothing to crack the most impossible cases.
To uncover the truth, Mason had help from his secretary Della Street (Barbara Hale) and investigator Paul Drake (William Hopper).
It always fun to watch Perry Mason use detective skills to trick and trap witnesses into unwittingly admitting their guilt in the case.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
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